


Memories

by dandelionthief



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:20:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22168531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionthief/pseuds/dandelionthief
Summary: I'm a slut for Muriel taking care of the apprentice. Apprentice wakes of from a nightmare/memory of her death, Muriel finds her and takes care of her. Hnnnggg good shit.
Relationships: Apprentice & Muriel (The Arcana), Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana), Muriel (The Arcana)/Original Female Character(s), Muriel (The Arcana)/Reader, Muriel (The Arcana)/You
Comments: 5
Kudos: 181





	1. The Apprentice

> It was the same every time. The dream started with her, slumped against a wall, just like all the others around her. Every face she looked into, blood red eyes just like hers stared back. She was so tired, so weak, that when she heard footsteps approaching she kept her eyes closed. She felt arms scoop her up and carry her to another room, but she didn’t care. She was set down gently on what felt like soft, feather-light sand, but she smelled smoke. Ashes. Even in the dream she knew they were ashes, and she was lying in them, and she knew soon she would become them. They had thought she was dead already. A flicker of fear shot through her when she felt the air around her grow warmer, the temperature increasing rapidly. For a moment, she thought about fighting, about sitting up and screaming, making them stop, _couldn't they tell she wasn't dead yet?_ Just as quickly as the thought came, she let it slip away. What would be the point? So she could suffer another miserable day? She heard the roar of the fire and although she was sick with fear, she forced her body to lie still. Her last thoughts were of Asra, then pain, then agony, and then she was gone.  
> 
> 
> Gasping, she shot up out of her bed. She was soaked in sweat, her face slick with tears and her whole body shaking. This was the fifth night in a row she had been awoken by the memories of her death. Shad barely slept since Asra had left, off on another one of his solo adventures. Her mind was full of panic and raw fear. She needed to run, to get out of this shop where she was choking on her memories. She slid out of bed and slipped on her boots, not bothering to grab a coat or anything warm despite the harsh weather outside. It was winter, and although the ground was free from snow, the cold was dangerously biting.  
> 
> 
> She felt as if she was out of her body, watching herself stumble down the street and past the city limits. The silent tears streaming down her face had stopped by the time she reached the edge of the forest, and now she was just numb, mind and body, dragging herself through the woods without paying attention to where she was going. Suddenly, her foot caught on a protruding root, and she fell to the ground, throwing out her arms to catch herself. Pushing herself back up, she felt the warmth of her blood trickling down her palm from the gash on her forearm that a jagged rock had caused when she fell. She pressed her hand to the wound, more on instinct than genuine concern for her situation, and it came away wet with blood. She knew she should feel something…scared…concerned… _anything_ …but she just let her arm drop to her side and started to walk once more, winding deeper into the forest.  
> 
> 
> Eventually, although she didn’t register the cold in her mind, she did in her body, and her pace slowed until she was barely shuffling her feet, her legs so numb they were hard to move. She slumped down against a tree trunk, mind blank and body frozen. She felt sleep tug at her eyelids. _“Finally, maybe I’ll be able to get some rest.”_ She felt something cold and wet sniffing her hand. _“ That’s odd.”_ she thought, but she was already slipping into unconsciousness before she could form another thought.  
> 


	2. Muriel

> Muriel was asleep, the embers of the fire still glowing in the hearth. He was awoken by the loud whining of Inanna. She was nudging his face with her nose, pawing at hi incessantly She only became more insistent when she saw that he was awake, darting back and forth between the door of his hut and the bed where he was now sitting.  
> 
> 
> ”What is it?” He asked her, standing up and reaching for her, but she darted back to the door and nudged it open, looking back at him to follow her.  
> 
> 
> Whatever she wanted to show him, Muriel thought, it was obviously important enough for her to come back from her nightly adventures and wake him up, so he decided to follow. He tugged on his boots, threw his fur cloak around his shoulders, and moved to follow Inanna out the door.  
> 
> 
> They walked briskly, the wolf several steps ahead, constantly looking back at Muriel to make sure he was following, urging him to pick up his pace. By the time they reached the large oak tree with the great canopy, Muriel was jogging to keep up, but he stopped when he saw what was huddled at the base. There she was, in short sleeves and thin sleeping pants, hair loose and blown by the icy wind, not even wearing a jacket to protect her. He lurched forward and hurriedly crouched in front of her, putting a trembling hand to her neck to check for a pulse. It was there, fluttering weakly, but there, and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 
> 
> He gently shook her by the shoulder, ”MC…please, wake up,” he was struggling to stay calm, it was too cold out here, she was too pale… ”MC, I need to get you inside…”  
> 
> 
> Muriel decided he couldn’t waste another second, she was too cold to be responsive, so he scooped her up, pulling the edges of his cloak around her in an attempt to give her even the slightest bit more protection from the frigid night air. He walked as quickly as he could to his hut, trying to be as gentle as possible with her in his arms, Inanna at his heel. He reached the entrance to his hut and he opened the door with his foot, turning sideways to fit both of them inside. He carefully set MC down on his bed.  
> 
> 
> ”Muriel…”  
> 
> 
> His eyes darted to her face, where she was looking at him with a vacant gaze.  
> 
> 
> ”MC, what happened? What were you doing out there? What…” he drifted off when he realized she was out once again.  
> 
> 
> He set about collecting every fur he had. He draped some on the floor in front of the fireplace, and then transferred her from the bed to the hearth. He then took the rest of the furs and covered her up while Inanna curled up next to her. He began to rebuild the fire, stoking it until it was a roaring flame. Turning back to MC, he hesitated, wanting to do more but not sure what. It was at that moment that her eyes fluttered open, and her gaze focused on Muriel once more.  
> 
> 
> ”Muriel, I…” she sucked in a breath of pain, as she tried to prop herself up on her forearms. She sat up and pulled her arms out from under the furs. Muriel’s heart stopped when he saw her hands and arm covered in blood.  
> 


	3. Apprentice

Apprentice

> ”I’m sorry, Muri, I didn’t mean to bother you--“ she choked out, eyes welling with tears again now that she was fully conscious. “I just—I-“ her eyes went wide as she turned her head and took in the roaring fire in front of her. She scrambled back into a standing position and started to dart towards the door. Muriel stepped in front of it and took her by the shoulders.  
> 
> 
> ”MC, you can’t go back out there! It’s freezing and you’re hurt and something is obviously _wrong_ ” Muriel cried. He kept his hands on her shoulders, she was still trying to maneuver her body past him to get outside.
> 
> ”Please, please, Muri, I can’t- please let me leave-“ her eyes were looking past him, but he could see they were wild with fear and filled with tears.
> 
> ”MC…come here…everything will be okay, just come sit down and get warm.” He took her uninjured arm and moved to the side, trying to lead her to the middle of the hut and she saw an opportunity. She launched forward and flung open the door, running straight for the woods before Muriel had even registered what had happened. She could hear him calling after her. She knew he would follow, but she didn’t care. She just needed to be as far away from that fire as possible.
> 
> Her limbs were still stiff with cold, and she was beginning to feel the pain of her cut through the adrenaline in her system, but she kept running. Deeper into the woods she went with Muriel fast behind her, calling out to her every few steps. She didn’t know where she was going, and her limbs were once again going numb with the brutal winds and below freezing temperature. She came to a halt in a small clearing. She heard him come crashing through the trees and slow to a stop once he saw that she was still.
> 
> ”MC” Muriel whispered softly.
> 
> At the sound of his voice, she felt her knees buckle and she sunk to the ground. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs as she buried her face in her hands. She felt strong, warm arms encircling her and she shuffled sideways to curl herself into his front. They stayed like that for a while. He didn’t talk, just held her and let her cry into his chest until her breathing evened out and her tears turned to hiccups and then into silence. Mindful of her cut, he once again scooped her into his arms and returned to the hut.
> 
> Once inside, Muriel set her down at the kitchen table. “Wait here, I need to clean your arm,” he mumbled, opening a cupboard and grabbing several different herbs and salves. He set his supplies on the tabletop and dragged a chair over so he could sit in front of her.
> 
> “May I?” he asked, motioning to her blood-smeared arm.
> 
> She nodded and held it out for him to take. She thought his hands were possibly the gentlest things she had ever been touched by. He was so careful with her it was incredible considering his size. She hissed in pain when he started to directly clean the wound with a wet cloth, brushing out the dirt and dried blood.
> 
> ”I’m sorry,” Muriel said, eyes wide and pained. “but I need to do this or it could get infected.” He looked so distraught that he had caused her even the slightest bit of pain.
> 
> ”It’s okay, Muri.” She replied, “I’m fine, it needs to be done.” She pressed her lips together and grit her teeth, offering her arm slightly more to encourage him. He resumed dabbing at the cut, eyes flicking up to worriedly watch her expression every couple seconds. Eventually he finished, and spread a salve over the wound and wrapping it in bandages. She took her arm back and cradled it to her chest, looking at the ground and chewing her lip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay listen I KNOW this isn't a good place to end but I need to go to sleep because it's late and my first day of classes is tomorrow and I could make this chapter go on forever so here we are.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four  
Muriel

Muriel sat there, watching her avoid his eyes and knew he would have to initiate the conversation for once. 

”Do you want to…talk…about it…” He started somewhat awkwardly. He wanted to be comforting but he just wasn’t very skilled at it, not having had much practice. 

”Actually, I should probably be getting back, it’s late, I’m tired, you’re tired, Inanna’s tired, you know how it is during…uh…the night, I’m just going to – “ She faltered when she looked up and saw he was unimpressed and unconvinced with her rambling excuses. She was still trembling somewhat from the cold, and still looked like she wanted to bolt from the room. 

”You never let me run away when I’m scared…you comfort me…so please, let me comfort you…” Muriel stood up and offered her his hand, and after a moment she reached up and took it. He gently pulled her over to sit beside him on the bed, taking a loose fur and wrapping it around her shoulders. She let out a small sigh and closed her eyes. 

”It’s not – I mean, logically I know – I just feel so stupid! I was fine when I found out! It didn’t bother me nearly as much as everyone thought it should I thought I was okay with knowing I died and I am! I’m fine with it, it doesn’t bother me! I doesn’t scare me! I died! I was dead! I don’t remember it so it doesn’t really matter! It’s just that recently I – recently I’ve been having dreams, and I – I’m so – oh god, Muri, I’m so _tired._ ” She had started crying again and he leaned forward and gathered her in his arms, holding her while she buried her face in his chest. He wasn’t exactly sure what she was talking about but he wasn’t about to stop her now that she’d finally started talking. 

”It just feels so real and I think – I think it’s an actual memory, I don’t know _how_ or – or _why_ of all the things to make me remember, but I can’t sleep and I feel… I feel like I’m going insane because I can’t stop remembering and I don’t want to, Muri, I want to forget so _badly_ b-but I c-can’t!” He tightened his grip on her and used his one hand to stroke her hair, wondering what memory she was talking about that could possibly be so awful as to put her in this state. She was usually so resilient in the face of hardship, with a spirit that couldn’t be dampened. It hurt his heart to see her like this so scared and inconsolable. 

”They thought I was already dead,” She was whispering now, so soft he could barely hear her, “I wasn’t but I was so weak and so tired and I just wanted the pain to stop…” 

Muriel’s stomach clenched as he realized what she was talking about. Her own death…alone, on the Lazaret. They thought she was dead…and they cremated the dead there, in their giant furnaces…he felt sick thinking about her there, sick, knowing what was happening but not stopping it. He closed his eyes, tears started to drip down his face as he held her close and listened as she relived being burned alive. 

”It hurt so much, Muri…It h-hurt…so…m-much – and I couldn’t – I couldn’t – “ She was breathing too fast and too shallow. Muriel gently took her by the shoulders and held her out in front of him. 

”MC, look at me, _look at me,_ you’re okay. You’re okay and you’re _safe._ He continued to repeat himself, while she held his eyes and slowed her breath. 

”I’m sorry for waking you up, Muri,” She had calmed down now he could see the guilt in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to come here I just had to get out and I guess…well, I guess my feet led me here.” 

”You have nothing to be sorry for,” He insisted, eyes full of sincerity. “ I’m glad you came here, you would have frozen to death otherwise. And…thank you…for talking to me, and trusting me…” He got up from the bed and went to collect the extra furs from the hearth from earlier. 

”Y’know…It’s pretty late…you can stay here tonight…if you want…” He mumbled, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck, “I don’t want you to get hurt or robbed or anything…and it’s – it’s cold…so…” He looked over at MC, who was still sitting on the bed. 

”Thank you, Muri, I really appreciate it.” They scooted over to the far side of the bed and slid under the covers as Muriel walked over and did the same on the opposite side. He could feel her shivering slightly and so he slowly wound an arm around their waist and pulled them against him. The immediately snuggled closer, head buried in his chest, and relaxed against his warm figure. As he was about to drift off, intoxicated by the scent of their shampoo, he heard them whisper “thank you” ever so softly. He gently kissed the top of their head, and pulled them closer, ready to protect them from whatever dreams they may have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY Y'ALL it's been a hot minute since I've updated life has been a bitch as usual but thanks to Corona I had time to finish this. Bon Appetitty.

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY wow I'm discovering a lot about myself rn because it turns out I don't know how to write people being comforted I can only write angst and I feel like that says a lot about me as a person but let's not unpack all that right now my point is I was going to post another chapter tomorrow but uh it might take another day while I figure out how to the hell I'm supposed to know what being comforted feels like.


End file.
